‘Sex and the City’ Author Candace Bushnell Says Show Isn’t Feminist

As Sex and the City gears up for its HBO Max reboot, the book’s original author Candace Bushnell has said the TV adaptation was “not very feminist” and advised women not to model their lives on it.

Speaking to the New York Post, Bushnell, whose The New York Observer column was adapted into the bestselling Sex and the City anthology, said, “The TV show and the message were not very feminist at the end. But that’s TV. That’s entertainment. That’s why people should not base their lives on a TV show.”

In regards to fans of the show looking for their own “Mr. Big,” Carrie’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) elusive love interest played by Chris Noth, Bushnell said, “The reality is, finding a guy is maybe not your best economic choice in the long term. Men can be very dangerous to women in a lot of different ways.”

She continued: “We never talk about this, but that’s something that women need to think about: You can do a lot less . . . when you have to rely on a man.”

Bushnell’s comments come ahead of the HBO Max revival, And Just Like That…, which follows Carrie, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) as they navigate life and friendship in their 50s. Kim Cattrall, who played the popular character of Samantha in the original series, chose not to return for the upcoming sequel.

“I absolutely love Kim,” Bushnell told the NY Post. “But it seems she wants to do other things, and she doesn’t feel like doing the show. Maybe she doesn’t want to be that character anymore.”

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Despite Cattrall’s absence, HBO is pushing ahead with the revival, a move that doesn’t surprise Bushnell. “HBO’s going to make money on it. They’re going to exploit it as much as they can. “They rebooted Gossip Girl. If they didn’t reboot Sex in the City, it would be really strange.”

And Just Like That…, Series Premiere, December, HBO Max